Men's Basketball

Frank Mason to open at point guard for Jayhawks

Kansas guard Frank Mason claps his hands as he gets back on defense against Wake Forest after hitting a three-pointer during the second half of the Battle 4 Atlantis opening round on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2013 in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

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Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self, who has used the same starting lineup the past six games, will alter the opening five Saturday at Colorado.

Self says he has decided to go with freshman Frank Mason at the point-guard position in the 2:15 p.m. game in place of junior Naadir Tharpe, who has started all but one game — the season-opener, in which he served a suspension against Louisiana at Monroe.

Mason, a 5-foot-11, 185-pounder from Petersburg, Va., who averages 8.9 points with 20 assists against seven turnovers, started that contest.

“We’re going to put Frank out there to start the game,” Self said. “He’s been one of our more consistent, better performers so far this year. I think he deserves the opportunity.”

Of Mason, Self added: “Frank doesn’t talk, but he’s been great. He had about as bad a two minutes against UTEP as a guy could possibly have to end the game ... but if you’re going to line up the games that are hard to win on who our best player has been, you can make a case it’s been Frank, whether it be Duke, Villanova, Wake. I’m really pleased with him. But he’s got a lot to learn, too, but he’s trying. He tries hard every day. Every day he tries.”

Practicing hard: The Jayhawks (6-1) have had fruitful practices since winning two games and losing one Thursday through Saturday in the Bahamas.

“We’ve had a good week. We’ve gone hard this week,” Self said. “This is one thing about my guys that I need to be careful of: It’s a marathon, and you’re going to have games where you don’t play your best. The key is to win the games where you don’t play your best, and we didn’t do that one time against a top-20 team (Villanova) on a neutral floor. And with young kids, it’s going to happen..”

Buffs fans to pack Coors Center: Self expects a vast majority of 11,064-seat Coors Events Center to be occupied by Colorado fans for Saturday’s KU-CU game. In past years, the building was referred to as “Allen Fieldhouse West” because of all the KU fans in the crowd.

“We’ll have our fair share of people there. I bet we have a thousand fans there. But I think a thousand may be a high number, whereas in the past we probably had half the building. That’s a compliment to Tad (Boyle, fourth-year CU coach),” Self said.

Road trip: KU is about to play back-to-back nonconference road games (Colorado on Saturday, Florida on Tuesday) for the first time since Roy Williams’ Jayhawks headed to Oregon and Tulsa in the 2002-03 season.

“It’s going to be a hard road trip. I don’t know whoever did our scheduling … I don’t really understand. I’m the one who did it,” Self said with a laugh. “But it’s probably not the wisest thing to have done because ... but you know what, we’ll come together. The Atlantis trip didn’t serve its purpose for coming together, so hopefully we’ll do a much better job when we go to Boulder.”

I read all the time on here statements from fans whining about how stuck in his ways Bill Self is and how he always plays established veterans ahead of younger players. Obviously Selden and Wiggins are going to start because they are light years ahead of the established options, but in a scenario like Tharpe and Mason, people gripe that the guy in Mason's shoes "never" gets the chance from Self.

It's just funny. People use the word "NEVER" too often. Self plays who he thinks is the best choice, then fans sit aroun AFTER the results and whine about what an idiot he is if the results aren't good. It's ridiculous.

Congratulations to Mason! Seven games into his collegiate career and he's been named the starting PG of a top ten team, one of the most successful programs in college basketball history! Not bad for a guy that was barely recruited coming out of high school! If that kind of progress over the past couple years is any indication of how he'll continue to improve throughout this season, I'm thrilled to watch him lead this team at the point!

Frank deserves the opportunity. When we met the new player's at the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic, I told my wife that I was most impressed with Mason. He seems like a great young man. I have confidence in him getting us back on track. Hopefully this is the spark we need to get our motors running at full throttle.

It would seem to me that it is the other way around. Tharpe appears to be the better distributor, while Mason is the better scorer. The starters have plenty of scorers, and need someone to get them the ball in a position to score, while there are not as many scorers on the second string.

Definitely not second guessing Coach or this decision, or making a prediction, and the comment doesn't involve even an A/min analysis or anything. Just an observation, and a little surprised that Coach didn't stick with his veteran.

I would have had the same thought, that Tharpe is the better distributor. Tharpe does have a little higher A/min (.17 to Mason's .14) but honestly I would have guessed it would be much higher than that. (I guess Mason's assists are not as memorable as his relentless drives to the hoop.) Keep in mind as well that a good chunk of the minutes Mason has played have been with Tharpe on the floor, with Mason at the 2 spot, where he's been expected to score. I'll be excited to see how well he can run this offense as a starter, I expect he's up to the task, or Self wouldn't have made this move this early...

This is truly a lot about nothing. Coach is rewarding a player for his efforts. He is also sending a message to the team. Starting is a reward for hard play and effort. Nothing wrong with Tharpe. He is doing an average job at point, but this team needs a spark and I think Coach just gave them one.

This is going to be awesome, I cannot wait to see 4 freshman and a sophmore starting! It will get the whole team working harder since Self is challenging every position and sending a message of if you work hard and you play hard, you can start.

Ok, so that leaves one more tweak to be made, starting Embiid over Black. Black may have more expierence, but the guy is a fouling machine. He's lucky to play 20 minutes a game. Just start Embiid and Lucas, and bring Tharpe and Black off the bench.

I'll have to be honest, I AM SHOCKED! I love what Mason has brought to the team and the intensity he plays with, but for everything he's done, our +/- with him is just ok. (Embiid is the king of +/- so if he can stay out of foul trouble, that's who needs to become a starter!) I still contest that Tharpe is a much better shooter and a much better passer (than Mason). I think this may be Self telling Tharpe to step it up, because I know he can drive and penetrate the lane too, and when he does, he has the ability score, or to make better passes in the lane or to kick it outside to an open man. I really thought Tharpe was going to have a breakout season and so far I'm a little let down. I'm hoping we see him bounce back and continue to start through his junior an senior seasons.

If I can take it a step further, I'm still a little surprised Mason is even getting playing time over Frankamp and Greene. I trust Self and the coaching staff though so if that's who they want out there, I'll just have to adjust my thinking and give Mason more of a chance. I was just really excited about Greene and Frankamp coming and didn't know much about Mason. So far though, he's been a spark-plug and likely has a great future ahead of him here at Kansas!

You're still surprised Mason is getting more time than Greene and Frankamp? What games have you been watching? When our offense is stagnant Mason can and does create. Since last summer [as Babyphog] I have stated that Mason moving into the starting line up was a distinct possibility, although this is certainly quicker than I thought. He needs to play well or Tharpe will be reinserted. Tharpe has not played poorly, but Mason is quicker, stronger and fearless. The one area I think he will improve in with more court time, is after getting to the paint he doesn't need to try to finish at the rim every time, but instead be more of a distributor. Of course his teammates need to get to an area to receive the pass when help defense comes at Mason. The kid is a player.

Rich: I do understand that that you are shocked. I think your statement the other day was that it was "ludicrous" to think that Mason would start over Tharpe. No one's keeping score though ....

Don't sweat it. I didn't jump into the Mason camp until I saw him in game action. I still am a Tharpe fan. But there's no denying Mason. babyphog and Keegan both predicted this.

That all being said, your second paragraph puzzles me. If you have been watching Mason, you surely cannot be shocked that he's playing over Frankamp, right? Greene doesn't play point, of course. But Frankamp? He doesn't handle the ball with quickness, speed, and decisiveness like Mason does, and Mason is relentless getting to the hoop. I don't want to be too black and white, but they don't seem nearly on the same level with those skills.

It is time to adjust your set on Mason. What we have, potentially, is an incredible 4 year point guard that will be the driving force of this team.

Great credit to coach Self. If he thinks Mason makes us better -- which he has hinted at with his speed comments and Chalmers comparison -- then this is the right move.

Now, when Self says Mason deserves this, I agree. But one question I have ... if there is that amount of separation between Mason and Tharpe to give Mason the starting role, how much separation does there need to be for Embiid to get the start over Black? Unless Self gave Black his word on starting when he was recruiting him. Would be interesting to know Self's rationale there.

After watching the games, I think about 50% of us predicted Mason over Tharpe would come sooner than later. Mason is a catalyst. There's absolutely no way we get to watch him play in crimson and blue for 4 years; 2 if we are lucky. He plays like he's actually playing for something...the 6 letters on the front of his jersey.

I see now that "ludicrous" was a bit strong, but I stand by my remarks that I'd rather have Tharpe in there, both starting and with the game on the line and that I still feel he's a better shooter and a better passer. Now being a better "spark plug", I'll give Mason the nod for that, but to me that's perfect for coming off the bench... just my opinion. Either way, I'm a diehard Jayhawk fan (and alum) and I don't want to stir the pot too much, I'm just surprised a bit because I'm used to seeing even very talented guys have to "wait their turn" and yet here comes an unranked freshman and he's getting to start over what was a top 75 recruit who is now a junior and has experience (who most people here loved and pleaded to become a starter just last year I might add). Still, for Mason to have swayed the coaches this fast, despite all of that, is very impressive and I look forward to seeing what he brings throughout his career as a Jayhawk!

HEM - I am wondering if the shock over Mason getting more PT than Greene & Frankamp comes from something that both you & I deem as a reliable indicator of incoming talent level, and that is ranking. Just based on ranking, Mason was destined to be the least talented, and therefore the least deserving of minutes. To put it another way (at least in terms of the shock of Mason starting), what player during Self's tenure has had a ranking as low as Mason's and earned a starting role as a freshman? Tyshawn Taylor is the only one that comes to mind, and that was more by necessity. He certainly didn't have a guy in his third year ahead of him when he earned his starting spot.

Attributing any shock to Mason starting does not take available positional playing time into account, and obviously watching this play out on the court it's pretty obvious who deserves the minutes, but I guess this serves as a reminder that yes the rankings are a good indicator, yet they are not a set in stone number that players can't perform beyond.

Your comment regarding Mason getting PT over CF and Greene does not make much sense to me. Mason is light years ahead of CF. To be honest CF is not reday for Div 1 IMO, he should have red shirted. He does not have the size, strength and speed to contribute at a high level this year. Greene on the other hand is not a PG. I see a lot of potential in him but he needs to tighten up his D.

Yikes everyone... I get it, Mason is the real deal. I guess what I was getting at is that he wasn't as heavily recruited, and when I read about Greene and saw video of him, I thought he'd be a big part of our squad even as a freshman. I tended to think the same thing about Frankamp, but when Mason signed on, I wasn't under the impression he'd step in and instantly be liked more than Tharpe at the point... that's still crazy to me! Based on how Mason has played, I'm not surprised in the least he's getting PT... I'm just still surprised he was given such an opportunity up front when those other guys really weren't is all. Thanks for all the input fellas.

Greene's problems aren't on the court fellow RCJH fans. Moving away from that, Frank was ranked 76 overall and the 17th best PG in the country. As many of you have stated, rankings don't always correlate to the hardwood.

I think at some point both CF and Greene will make huge contributions but most likely not at the point guard position. If Connor can get his three going, he will find more minutes at the 2 spot while Greene could play either the 2 or 3.

But then again, I never thought I'd see Morningstar and Reed starting for KU. If a player starts producing, Self will find a way to get them on court.

Not really a surprise. I believe it was late December/early January last season that Self commented that if KU signee Mason was on board he would be the starting PG. Frank has been a great freshman, and come March he will be a great college player, period. Experience earned under the best coach in college hoops today will hone his skills to razor sharpness. We just have to remember to not howl too loudly when he makes the occasional mistake he will as he goes through the learning process.

In the past Self would have never started a freshman PG over a junior PG. Perhaps he was too rigid on his philosphy. But he is evolving. And I give him credit for getting more flexible. Sooner or later I expect to see Embiid starting instead of Black.

let me say there is nothing THAT wrong with tharpe,however, I do think this is a solid move as others have mentioned anybody who has actually watched our games can see mason is relentless in driving the ball to the lane, and quite to the contrary of some on here he has made some sweet passes to other players. is he weak on the outside game? ya he is outside shot lacks at this point, but with some hard work on his shots and experience it will come don't get me wrong not disappointed with tharpe, definitely need him and I think he will stay positive, its just mason deserves his chance and ya I think joel is just a couple of minutes away before he becomes our starting 5. black is definitely more physical ruff and tuff but like is mentioned foul prone thank god for depth, that's a luxury we DO have at that spot. tuff game tomorrow hope we just play solid and preform at higher level then in tournament. but we knew this was gonna be the case so very young. was stated that we were like the 398th youngest team in collegiate level GO HAWKS

I agree with your comment that Mason's outside shot is probably the area that needs the most work. If he can knock down 40% of his threes, his defender can't sag off him which allows him to get to the paint even more efficiently

If he can knock down 3s at a 40% rate, I hope he's taking 20 (24 pts) of these shots per game! I don't like to see PG bomb from deep but concede he needs to shoot a high enough percentage to keep defenses honest. 38% will do.

oh ya forgot to say on last post to, you find it hard to believe that mason is over connor and brennan? REALLY? SERIOUSLY? have you been watching the same games we have? connor versus frank? not even close, no comparision WHAT SOEVER I mean really as far as greene goes like has been stated not EVEN the same position come on now

Of coarse I've watched... I don't mean now, as of 12/6 it's surprising he's getting more PT... I just meant for the year. It's shocking that in a system where even highly ranked guys come in and have to "wait their turn", that an unranked freshman can come in and captivate the coaches like this... THAT is what is surprising to me. RCJH!

Mason actually did get ranked at #76 when rivals put out their final rankings for 2013 but I'm also a bit surprised that he has surpassed Tharpe so quickly in the season.
I do remember that Tharpe barely saw time on court as a freshman as HCBS had him on a very short leash.

1] Is it a surprise that Frank will be starting for the Hawks?...NO! Is it a surprise he is starting before Christmas break?..TOTALLY! HCBS has been sincere and consistent in his praise of Mason. Just think when those penetration shots into the lane start falling!

2] Does Jo Jo deserve to start now?...YES! Should Jo Jo start now?.....NO! He will benefit more coming off the bench which, based on Black's prediliction to foul, will be inevitable every game early.

3] Even now, only seven games into the season, you can see the rotation sifting down to a more "Self-like" number. From a starting point of 12, Lucas, Greene, White III are being called on less, thus going with a more traditionally HCBS number of 9.

4] Come crunch time it will be "The Self Seven" with Selden, Wiggins, Ellis, Mason, Tharpe, Embiid and Traylor, with Frankamp and Black joining the bench.....just wait and watch.

5] I can't decide which hurts more, having a ulcerated callous shaved off the bottom of my foot or seeing Misery in the SEC Championship game.....actually, I know exactly which hurts more!! >:- ( !!

Oak, On point #4, I would not be surprised to Self evolve a bit and expand his rotation to 8 or even 9. Self wants to play 5 perimeter players. We know that Wiggins, Selden, Mason and Tharpe are locked in. That leaves PT for two more and that will be a combination of White, Greene and CF.

From what Self has said recently no one has separated himself between the three of them although I think AW3 is ahead simply due to his experience being in the system. As such as the season goes along I'd expect to see AW3 getting more PT. If Greene can improve his D, I can see him getting some PT as well.

Thus I feel that we will see 8-9 man rotation this year. Having the luxury of more talent on the bench will allow Self to expand the rotation a bit this year something he did not have in the last couple of years.

I agree on Embiid...he's already averaging 5 more minutes a game than Black, and doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would care more about starting than actually playing. He seems to improve almost every time he steps on the court, it won't be long before we're seeing him start AND play 30 minutes a game. Man I love this team!

BTW, I'll be rooting for the Baylor Bears tonight...and Auburn big time tomorrow!

This is as much to push Tharpe as it is to reward Mason. I think Mason has earned the starting spot, although I still think Tharpe is the better point guard right now. But Mason is playing better than Tharpe at the moment, is giving the team energy, and is not afraid to make bold decisions. I doubt he'll stay at the starting spot for too long, though, because I think this is going to motivate Tharpe to kick his effort into high gear. This will be very good for the team.

As you said, playing better, giving the team energy, and not afraid to make bold decisions -- these things are easier as the 6th man

People need to remember that when a player succeeds in backup duties it doesn't always translate to when their roll is changed. I think Mason is great, for sure, and that he's a mental rock and capable of doing it, but Tharpe will be starting again.

This is a motivation tactic all around. Show that effort and assertiveness will be rewarded, and to push buttons / show there's room for competition. Self is fond of saying that competition for playing time is a good thing.

Who would of thought our lowest ranked recruit would be running this team and the most important player so far before the season started. Not a soul! You can't put a ranking on determination and heart in determining who is the best on the court. Mason is already a special player and I'm glad we got him!

Mason is starting because he is the most aggressive player and Self is hoping that mentality rubs off on the rest of the starters. I still believe Tharpe is the better overall PG, but Mason's positive attributes better fit what KU needs right now.

While I agree that the rest of the starters need to be more aggressive on the offensive end with making something happen (I.e. Wiggins and Selden driving and moving with and without the ball), I have not seen Mason's aggressiveness translate to that yet. If anything they seem to get more complacent when he is in.

Our biggest problem (if there is one for a 1 loss team at this point) is that other than Perry and Mason, nobody is looking to make the plays that they might not necessarily score on, but might cause defensive issues such as fouls or poor rotations. I will say Tharpe, Black and Embiid have too a bit out of necessity late in possessions, but rarely other than those two (Mason and Perry) nobody is. Now Mason when he does it does appear to me to be looking score first...Perry looks create opportunity first.

If you think back to past teams, what we need is a Russell Robinson type. He would often make a move and it would cause a rotation and he might not get assist, but the person he passed to made extra pass and was now uncovered due to rotation problems caused by Robinson. It would be interesting if there was ever a stat kept similar to 2 assist in hockey, I bet RussRob would have had ton.

Players like that suddenly make others look more aggressive. A prime candidate would appear to be Selden. He can shoot, so up fakes would be strong, he can drive, he can pass and so far seems to be able to stay out of foul trouble. If he started a bit of on and off ball offensive pressure I believe at that point Tharpe would be the stronger point guard. Until then you almost have to have Mason in to get some flow going.

All that said when watching the Villanova game, for a good chunk of it, I was screaming to put Frankamp in. Our problem there was not valuing the ball and trying to make the low percentage spectacular play instead of the high percentage simple play. One example is the 3 on two break with Tharpe and Mason up right and Perry up left. The D sets up to guard perry and Tharpe with lean Perry and rather than simple pass right to Mason, tries bounce pass that starts break other way. That is like 3rd and 10 and throwing 50 yards downfield into double coverage while you have a running back wide open 9 yards downfield. Go with the smart play and value the ball.

I'm not sure what game y'all have been watching, but Frank earned this starting role. He stepped up in a major way in the Battle for Atlantis and he delivered as an "Unknown" Freshman. A lot of you have maybe only seen 6 games from him, but I have watched him my entire life and he has always played with the type of tenacity that is unmatched.

He's an underdog with a lot of pressure on his shoulders and he carries it well to be a young man. The desire to win and the hunger for success is undeniable in this kid. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. Not to discredit Tharpe at all... I just believe that Mason earned his start. Besides that I believe the teams plays great when they both are on the floor together.

I know this kid personally and I know how hard he has worked for his respect every single day since middle school. When you're 5-10 you have to possess a big heart to play in this league and Frank displays that.